The International Cat Association (TICA)

Scale of Points Points
Total 100
Head Shape 10
Ears 5
Eye Shape 5
Eye Color 5
Muzzle 5
Profile 5
Torso 10
Legs and Feet 10
Body Tail 5
Boning 5
Musculature 5
Texture 10
Coat/Color/Pattern Pattern (Ticking) 10
Color 10
Category Traditional.
Divisions Tabby and Silver/Smoke.
Colors Limited to eumelanistic colorsand agouti pattern only.
Permissible Outsrosses None.


Head Shape Modified wedge with rounded contours as viewed from the front. A rise from the bridge of the nose to the forehead without evidence of a sharp break. The head should be of ample length in general balance with the rest of the cat and gently curved from the forehead over the skull flowing into an arched neck.
Ears Large, alert, and moderately pointed, broad and cupped at base and arched forward, set as though listening. Hair on ears short and close-lying, preferably tipped in conformity with the color requirements. A "thumb print" marking is desirable on the back of the ear.
Eyes Almond shaped, large, brilliant and expressive. Skull aperture follows almond shape of eyes being neither round nor oriental. Eyes accentuated by darker lid skin, encircled by a light colored area. Above each eye appears a short vertical darker pencil stroke amidst the light area. At the sides of each eye appears a curved darker pencil line as if a continuation of the upper eyelid. Eye Color to be gold, copper, green or hazel, the more richness and depth of color the better. There is no relationship between coat and eye color.
Muzzle The muzzle shall follow gentle contours in conformity with the head as viewed from the front and in profile. Chin shall be full and neither projecting nor receding, having a rounded appearance. Allowance to be made for jowls in adult males. The muzzle shall not be sharply pointed and there shall be no evidence of snippiness, foxy appearance or whisker pinch.
Profile Without flat planes, showing gently curved transition between brow, nose and muzzle.
Torso Medium long, lithe and graceful, showing well developed muscular strength without coarseness and is solid to the feel. The rib cage is rounded with no evidence of flat sides. The back is slightly arched giving the appearance of a cat about to spring. The flank shall be reasonably level without tuckup. Proportion and general balance to be desired more than mere size.
Body Legs Proportionately slim, long and well-muscled. The Abyssinian stands well off the ground.
Feet Oval and compact. When standing, giving the impression of being on tip toe.
Tail Long and tapering.
Musculature Well-developed muscular strength without coarseness and solid to the feel.
Coat/Color/Pattern Length Coat resilient to the touch with a lustrous sheen, fine in texture. Medium length, long enough to accommodate four to six alternating light and dark colored bands. The coat lies fairly close to the body; however, the undercoat should be adequate enough to avoid any evidence of slickness. Woolliness undesirable. Coat is longest at the spine, gradually shortening over the saddle, flank, legs and head.
Pattern Coat pattern is genetically a form of agouti ticking with even, dark-colored ticking contrasted with lighter bands giving a translucent effect
Tabby Division The colors of the Abyssinian in the Tabby Division should reflect warmth of color, giving the impression of a colorful cat. The more rufousing and depth of color the better. Deeper shades/tones preferred. Darker shading along spine allowed. White or offwhite to be confined only to the upper throat area, lips and around nostrils. Preference to be given to a good, even ticking.
Silver/Smoke Division In the Silver Division, only the undercoat color will be different from the Tabby Division, with the six colors of ticking being the same in both divisions. In all Silver varieties, the desirable undercoat color is to be icy white, with ticking appropriate to the particular color, giving an overall sparkling silver effect. The orangebrown/ sorrel/cream bands within the ticking of the Traditional Tabby Division colors are replaced with white, with the band adjacent to the skin being the lightest. Yellow or brown pigmentation on the chest, belly, under tail, or inside of legs is not desirable, although minor patches of rufousing are not to be considered a fault if the overall impression is of silver. Some rufousing may be present in the areas of ticking, especially along the spine, and the rufous polygenes may have a small effect on the silver undercolor as well, although lack of rufousing is more desirable.
General   The overall impression of the ideal Abyssinian is a medium cat, regal in appearance. The Abyssinian is foreign in type. Males proportionately larger than females, the female being finer boned and usually more active than the male. The Abyssinian shows firm muscular development and is lithe and panther-like in activity, showing a lively interest in all surroundings. The coat of the Abyssinian has an iridescent quality. Coat pattern is genetically a form of agouti ticking with even, dark-colored ticking contrasted with lighter bands giving a translucent effect. The Abyssinian is of sound health and vigor, well-balanced physically and temperamentally gentle and amenable to handling.
Color Faults Cold, gray or sandy tone to coat color in ruddies, chocolates, or cinnamons or gray hair next to skin with absence of correct undercoat color. Distinct broken necklaces, leg bars, mottling or speckling in unticked areas (underside of body, chest and inside legs), tabby stripes or bars. Slick coat or excessive plushness. Wrong color or patching in pads.
Penalze Ticking and Pattern Faults Unevenness of ticking over body, lack of desired markings on head and tail.
Condition Flabbiness of body, lack of coat luster, eye color, evidence of illness, emaciation and lack of muscle tone are faults and points shall be deducted.
Withhold All Awards (WW)   Unbroken necklace. Reversed ticking (outermost tip of hair light instead of dark). In the Tabby division, white locket or white anywhere on the body other than around nostril, chin and upper throat areas.



Association info
The International Cat Association, the world's largest genetic registry of purebred and household pet cats and one of the world's largest sanctioning bodies for cat shows, has the following mission:

*To encourage its members to be caring, responsible owners and breeders of cats who work together to promote the preservation of pedigreed cats and the health and welfare of all domestic cats.
*To have the most accurate and comprehensive certified pedigree registry in the world.
*To provide sanctioned cat shows which promote both pedigreed and non-pedigreed cats in a professional manner and which are both enjoyable and educational for exhibitors, judges and the general public.
*To encourage its members to take an active role in the community to foster responsible spay/neuter awareness through public education, to become active in voluntary service at local animal shelters or outreach programs for schools and/or senior or disabled citizens, and to become involved in citizen advisory groups to foster responsible legislation regarding the health and welfare of cats.
*To promote friendly relations between breeders in this country and other countries around the world.
*To disseminate information to breeders, owners, exhibitors, and the general public concerning breeding, exhibition, improvement of breeds, the care and welfare of all cats and to provide materials and information regarding feline issues of regional or national importance.
*To set up a foundation to encourage research on feline health issues and to provide readily available lists of resource materials on health issues to its members.
Link: http://www.ticaeo.com/